Football Reloaded

He was never likely to go quietly. “I have been lied to and betrayed,” said Diego Maradona in response to losing his job as Argentina coach. He should have seen it coming.

In October 2008, on the eve of his appointment, I made the following comment on this website:

“Argentina are not in the habit of sacking coaches. Either they resign or their contract comes to an end. On Monday, Julio Grondona [Argentine Football Association president] was indicating that the new coach will not be given a four-year deal but will only serve until the next World Cup.

“A cynic might wonder if there are hidden intentions here – that Grondona can hardly ignore Maradona now that he is healthy and ambitious but that, assuming Argentina don’t win the next World Cup, he can draw his sting and then get rid of him in little more than a year and a half. Time will tell.”

Time has told. Maradona walked into the trap. As he commented, his spell in charge was the shortest of any Argentina coach in the last 35 years.

He inherited a team in crisis and took them to the World Cup quarter-finals this summer.

There were some bad moments along the way but also, especially in the early stages in South Africa, flashes of inspiration from a team that appeared to be happy under his command.

In terms of results, though, he is hung by his own words. Four years ago, Jose Pekerman’s side returned to a heroes’ welcome after reaching the quarter-finals in Germany. Maradona said at the time that he could see no reason for celebrations, but the comparison is not favourable.

Pekerman’s team lost to the hosts on penalties in a game where they were undeniably the better side. Maradona’s line-up met the Germans at the same stage on neutral ground and were taken apart.

That 4-0 defeat on 3 July left the feeling that, for all the controversial absentees, he had the players in his squad who could have won the game.

Carried away with the euphoria of the early wins, Maradona picked an unbalanced side and played into the hands of the German counter-attack. It was the moment when his inexperience was found out.

Back in October 2008, the idea was that Maradona would have an adviser rich in experience – Carlos Bilardo, his coach when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986.

But their relationship quickly broke down and Bilardo was sidelined with administrative tasks. Maradona, meanwhile, surrounded himself with his gang – Alejandro Mancuso, from the 1994 World Cup squad, and Hector Enrique from 1986.

There was also the case of Oscar Ruggeri, the much capped international centre-back. Maradona fought to have Ruggeri in his coaching staff.

The Argentine FA would not accept him – the consequence of a personal fall-out with the president of San Lorenzo. Ruggeri, then, might have been consulted but he was never an official member of the team.

This rolled on for years but there is little in Ruggeri’s coaching CV to suggest that he could have made a difference.

President of the Argentine FA since 1979, Julio Grondona is the Maradona of sports politics. He knows all the angles. He found a way to get rid of Maradona without actually sacking him.

He praised the coach’s work and gave him the chance to continue – but with Maradona’s position weakened by that 4-0 defeat, Grondona went for the vulnerable spot. The new contract was subject to conditions – Maradona would have to make wholesale changes to his back-up staff.

There was only ever going to be one answer.

The Germany game proves that there was a need for more experience on the touchline. Nevertheless, there is something noble in Maradona’s loyalty to his assistants.

It is this type of conduct that made Maradona loved by almost everyone who played alongside him. For all the size of his ego, he has always been a team player – who now goes down with his team, bringing to an end a spell of 637 days, which was as colourful as it was controversial.

I thought I’d do something a little bit different this week and try to rack your brains for an insight in to your knowledge of junior football and, in particular, compensation fees.

I’ve got a couple of friends playing in the juniors and one who finds himself in limbo due to his former club being entitled to money even though he is out of contract.

I won’t give any names but it’s a frustrating time for him and I can understand why. He has been training with another club throughout the summer and they are very keen to sign him but, as it stands just now, are unwilling to meet his former club’s “asking price”.

Linlithgow Rose fans celebrate their Scottish Junior Cup win over Largs Thistle. Photo: SNS.

I have tried to do a little bit of research and I believe that if the club have made an offer to retain the player upon the expiry of the contract then they are entitled to this fee should the player move on to another club.

The club must follow certain rules for this to come in to effect and there is a minimum and maximum fee that is set by the Junior FA.

So my take on it is that basically there can be no Bosman transfers in junior football – does this apply only to transfers between the junior leagues or would, say, Annan have to pay money to Kello Rovers for an out-of-contract player?

I’ve never played junior football but my dad, Colin, was always keen for me to try it (he played for Kello for over ten years, hence the mention) and the talk down our way was that the clubs always paid good money and still do.

Regardless of the money being splashed I’m sure every club feels entitled to receive something back in terms of finance when a player leaves. Outwith the top division, players are only likely to sign one-year deals so clubs will rarely receive transfer fees but this compensation fee will go towards making up for that, I’m sure.

On the flip side, is it not slightly unfair on the player?

There is often a lot of noise made about players not honouring contracts in football, yet at junior level you can stay with a club for a few years, play well and win trophies before you decide to move on under freedom of contract; only for your former club to demand £3,000 for you.

Is this an automatic entitlement or can the club waive this fee out of goodwill? I’m trying to look at things from both sides and there would be nothing worse than an old favourite leaving for free and returning to haunt you with his new club.

I might very well be misunderstanding things but it does seem to be a wee bit harsh on some players.

You will always get players that like to take the money without giving too much back so can I assume that this plays a part in the compensation fee? Is it also to do with the way some players might get paid?

I have heard of players getting lump sums at different stages of the season and others who get paid a weekly wage with bonuses.

Every contracted player at Annan receives a weekly wage with various bonuses; it’s up to you to negotiate your own contract, obviously. However, when we were a non-league club I got paid in different ways throughout the years.

There was one year when I was paid a basic weekly wage and I also got a signing-on fee plus money at Christmas and money if we got in to the Scottish Cup proper.

But there were details inserted in to the contract that if I left at a certain time either I had to pay money back to the club or there was a transfer fee involved.

I was quite happy with that as I had no intention of leaving; the only time I did worry was when I received concert tickets for Oasis and my Uefa Cup final ticket two years ago – there was no way they were getting those back!

This type of thing happens at every level including the juniors, I assume, but is the compensation figure on top of things like this as well?

I suppose I had better at least touch on our defeat at Stenhousemuir at the weekend. The match was evenly balanced before Stenhousemuir went ahead and then we had a nightmare spell afterwards and lost our shape a wee bit.

This meant we went in at half-time 3-0 down, looking only at gaining some pride in the second half. That certainly happened with two late goals but in truth the game was over and we now look forward to Saturday and the Co-operative Insurance Cup match at home to Partick Thistle.

This is one I and the rest of the players are looking forward to and one that should attract a decent crowd.

Hopefully the home supporters turn up in their numbers and outdo their Thistle counterparts as they always have a decent away support.

We’ve already spoken a wee bit about the way Thistle play and it might mean an adjustment to our formation. Kevin Neilson and David Cox return to the squad after suspension so there could also be some changes to the starting line-up.

We face a difficult task to avoid going out of another cup competition so let’s hope our chairman doesn’t refer to our opponents as a struggling First Division side this week!

If I was to say that this week’s blog is about the reasons why a player moves clubs or chooses one team over another then I am sure some would expect it be very short and straightforward.

Surely, for footballers, it is all just about the money and therefore the highest bidder secures the signature of the player in demand.

As a professional of many years it may come as no surprise that I would argue this point, and instead point to many other factors that a player will consider before deciding upon his next move.

Of course, there are mercenaries in the game and a higher wage will often hold sway over a lesser offer but do the same rules not apply in other sports and other professions?

Taking aside the matter of finance, what else will a player consider prior to committing himself to a new club?

The potential for success is an obvious one, as players have always grown up with the dream of winning championships, appearing in cup finals and being capped by their country, and therefore a club which can offer them more than a good chance of achieving this is always an attractive proposition.

Whether you will simply be a squad player used to fill in for others, or be seen as a regular starter with a vital role to play is another issue to ponder.

Undoubtedly there have been examples in the game of players moving to other, sometimes bigger, clubs but failing to cement their status in a way they had done at their previous employers.

This in particular, however, is difficult for a player to judge as they will usually be confident enough in their own ability to make a move a successful one.

There are numerous other circumstances which will dictate a career path, with age being another significant one.

An older player may be less willing to uproot a family for example, or may opt for a club because it offers him a route into coaching and so on.

For younger players, and perhaps even those still of school age, the decision of which club to join can be even more important, as it could determine their very future success in the game.

In Scotland, would a teenager (and their parents) prefer to sign for a big club and enjoy the prestige and accolade that comes with it?

Possibly, and sometimes with justification as the facilities that these clubs can offer are often superior to the smaller sides.

However, some of these smaller sides are those who invest huge amounts of time and money (in a relative sense) into their youth programmes and who are prepared to give their own developed players first-team opportunities.

All of the above conjecture is particularly relevant in a week when two players brought into their respective teams through a youth system have seen their performances rewarded with moves to the English Premier League.

In the case of Danny Wilson, he displayed incredible maturity in his displays for Rangers and is undoubtedly a defender with a huge future ahead of him.

While the transfer of my former – albeit very briefly – teammate, James McArthur, is a fitting reward for a consistency and standard of performance which has often belied his young age.

I obviously have a lot more experience of playing against James than with him but always felt he merited the hype that often surrounded his displays.

The move to Wigan affords him the chance to emulate the huge success of James McCarthy, and is surely a ringing endorsement for any top young players to consider Hamilton Accies as their preferred move ahead of any other clubs.

Speaking of Hamilton, we are in Spain this week for a five-day training camp where we also have a couple of matches arranged.

It is always beneficial to get away as a squad and to enjoy working in a warmer climate -but before anyone asks, a trip to the Costa del Sol was not the reason I chose Hamilton over other SPL sides!

When Brazil shine, the players get the credit for their flair and brilliance. When they fall short of expectations, the coach gets the blame.

Being in charge of Brazilian team is like sitting in a coconut shy – plenty of things are thrown in your direction. And the bombardment could be especially fierce in the case of new boss Mano Menezes, who is taking over with everyone knowing that he was not the first choice for the job.

Muricy Ramalho, currently in charge of Fluminense, was the preferred candidate of the CBF – the Brazilian FA – and a man who, after guiding Sao Paulo to three consecutive league titles from 2006-08 he gave an interview in which he described the notion of turning down the Brazil job as “a joke”.

And yet, he has done exactly that, leaving the CBF looking stupid and lapping up criticism from the local media.

On Saturday, sports daily Lance! put an editorial on its front page describing the farce with Ramalho as an example of “the amateurism and improvisation of the actions of the CBF and its directors with things of real importance to our football. Attitudes for which we have already paid a high price, with the loss of titles and of chances to organise our domestic football. And which have transformed the organisation of the 2014 World Cup into a blind flight to an uncertain destination”.

New Brazil coach Mano Menezes (left) shares a joke with 1970 World Cup star Roberto Rivelino – photo: AP

The problem was that Fluminense would not free Ramalho from his contract. Indeed, it does seem an extraordinary oversight from the CBF not to have checked this before announcing that he was by far the best man to take them forward.

But Ramalho could have walked. A compensation claim could have been negotiated. It would be naïve to expect such loyalty to run both ways. If Fluminense have a run of bad results, they are liable to sack Ramalho without a minute’s thought – they have done it to plenty of others.

Ramalho has said that contracts should be honoured, and that he needs to give an example to his children by sticking to his agreement with Fluminense. It sounds like an attempt to claim the moral high ground, but I wonder if his refusal has been chiefly motivated by the pragmatism that has always been the hallmark of his teams. Perhaps he was afraid that whoever takes over now might prove to be a fall guy.

As soon as Dunga was sacked following Brazil’s quarter-final exit from the World Cup, CBF president Ricardo Teixeira talked of the need for renewal.

Brazil took an old squad to South Africa and few of them will be around in 2014, so there is a big rebuilding job to be done. The new coach may take charge of the Under-20s and will certainly, assuming Brazil qualify, lead the Under-23s at the London Olympics.

He will also be expected to throw plenty of youngsters straight into the senior side, starting with next month’s friendly away to the USA.

The obvious risk is that results might suffer while an inexperienced team finds its feet. That is what happened some 20 years ago when the great midfielder Falcao took charge of Brazil after the 1990 World Cup with a similar rebuilding brief. Before long, he had lost his job.

The shadow of Luiz Felipe Scolari hangs over the new coach. He remains the overwhelming peoples’ choice and even former captain Socrates appears to have been seduced by the charisma of a man who sees the world from a very different perspective.
In a recent interview on this website, Socrates pushed Scolari’s claims – a fan of Fidel Castro lining up behind an admirer of General Pinochet.

But ‘Big Phil’ ensured that he was out of the running by agreeing to coach Palmeiras before the World Cup. He doesn’t want the Brazil job now, but he would surely love to have it in two years time, in the run up to 2014.

‘Big Phil’ Scolari guided Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002 and may fancy trying to do so again in 2014 – photo: Getty

So, Mano Menezes has accepted the challenge and the CBF website has paid tribute to his courage in doing so. A (very) lower division centre-back in his playing days, he coached a number of minor sides before hitting the big time in the last five years with Gremio and Corinthians.

He picked both up after relegation to the Second Division, took them back up and reinstalled them among the giants, leading Gremio to the final of the 2007 Copa Libertadores and winning last year’s Brazilian Cup with Corinthians.

Menezes is no out-and-out-romantic – there is little space for such figures in contemporary Brazilian football. Like Scolari and Dunga, he is from the south of Brazil, a region where mass European immigration has left its mark with a preference for a tough style of play. But there are promising signs in his nurturing of all-round midfielders, an area where Brazil badly need a rethink.

Lucas developed well under him at Gremio and Cristian and Elias have caught the eye with Corinthians. He is also a believer in pacy wide attackers, Carlos Eduardo with Gremio, Dentinho and Jorge Henrique with Corinthians. His Brazil are unlikely to be totally dependent on the full-backs for penetration down the flanks.

With his cropped hair and pale skin, Menezes has the appearance of a US marine. But there is clearly more to him than a sergeant-major figure. He is held in affection by his players – as shown at Saturday’s press conference when Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and others briefly invaded the show to give their congratulations.

Mano Menezes is known for his cool demeanour, he is unlikely to be seen knocking nine bells out of the dugout, as Dunga did during that quarter final defeat by the Netherlands.

But he takes charge of Brazil at an awkward time and that inner calm will be thoroughly tested over the next few years.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I’ll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week’s postbag:

Q) Do you thing Peru stand a chance of qualifying for a World Cup again soon?
Krister Wendelborg

It’s been a while. They haven’t made it since ’82, and though they were close in ’86 and ’98, they’ve been miles away since, but I’m certainly expecting some improvement in the next campaign. Over the last couple of years there have been some promising signs from Peruvian clubs in the Libertadores.

I’m also a big fan of Sergio Markarian, the Uruguayan who has just been brought in to coach the national team – a very serious figure. But this next set of qualifiers will be extremely competitive, and I wonder if there’s enough genuine quality available to pick up points away from home.

Q) As a Benfica fan I would like to know your opinion on our new signing Nicolas Gaitan from Argentina. He is replacing fellow Argentinean Angel di Maria who is going to Real Madrid. Do you think Gaitan has the qualities to be a major player in the Liga Portugal and the Champions League?
Marco Sody

A) Although Gaitan is also left footed, they are very different players. Di Maria is a flyer. Gaitan came through the ranks more as an artistic foot-on-the-ball midfielder, though Boca were also using him wide right, curling in crosses for the centre forward. Di Maria’s gifts make him more naturally suited to the European game. I hope Gaitan comes off, but I’ll be surprised if he makes the same impact as Di Maria.

All the hard work of the last six weeks will finally be put to the test this weekend when we travel to face Stenhousemuir in the ALBA Challenge Cup.

This is what the lads have been working towards all summer and a run similar to last year’s when we lost out to Dundee in the semi-final would do nicely.

However, we’re certainly not taking anything for granted and we face a very difficult task in even reaching the second round.

All four matches against Stenny in our SFL debut season were tight affairs with two draws at Ochilview and I’m sure Saturday will be similar.

Our pre-season matches have possibly gone better than expected with our only defeat coming against our First Division neighbours Queen of the South.

We wrapped things up over the weekend with victories over Ayr United (4-0) and Airdrie (4-3) to finish the tough schedule on a very positive note.

We played two very different teams in the games and I’m sure the performances pleased the manager considering the amount of changes that were made. I wasn’t involved on Sunday but I think Saturday would have been enough for most of us anyway; it’s not that often you will see three red cards in a pre-season friendly!

People would maybe expect that it was a dirty match but it was far from it. There were a couple of tackles flying in but you expect that and there was certainly nothing too outrageous.

The red cards obviously spoiled the game and the second half was a bit of a non-event when it came to ten versus nine. There was so much going on during the break that it’s the first I’ve been involved in without a team talk.

We just had to try and be professional and we went on to add a further two goals to enhance our 2-0 half-time lead.

We scored some good goals over the weekend and while it was more important to get the fitness levels up, once again that was a definite positive for us.

We have taken some stick over the two seasons about not being too pretty in terms of our football, but we have been constantly working on things to improve that over the summer and I’m sure we will be easier on the eye this season.

Our striking options are reduced at the minute for various reasons and the players available to us are all similar so we really need to be keeping the ball down and getting it in to their feet.

The club have recently secured young Steven Lawless on a month’s loan from Motherwell so that will ease the pressure on Pat Walker and David Cox; who have been our only signed players available in the forward position.

Jordan Halsman has also joined from Motherwell on a six-month loan and he will add competition to the left hand side of the team. We now have Andy Aitken, Jordan and Steven that are left-footed players after sometimes playing without any at times during games last season.

I can probably add Coxy to that list even though he’s convinced he can play with either foot!

So, the club have been busy recruiting players recently and I’m almost certain there will be more to come. The squad is taking shape and we will have good, healthy competition for every department once everyone is fit and well.

I was a little bit worried by the chairman’s comments recently as I felt that our squad was a little short in terms of numbers to be thinking about promotion but I’m certainly more comfortable with his ambitions as things currently stand.

This will be our third season in the SFL and after last year’s disappointing finish it is time for us to stand up and be counted.

Once we get to the end of August we would hope to have the likes of Graeme Bell back and another one or two further signings in and we should be in a position to do just that. You never know we might even have someone else in by the time you read this column…